


Sacrifice

by Basykail



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Ancient Mesopotamia, Contracts, Dept, Disappearing from history, Gilgamesh Alter - Freeform, God - Freeform, Inanna's Priestess, Injustice, Love, M/M, Psychological Trauma, Revenge, Soul Eater - Freeform, Torture, Underground, foreign god, forgotten by all, foul creature, king Gilgamesh, prisoner, soul, the consequences of the past, time doesn't matter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:01:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29135970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basykail/pseuds/Basykail
Summary: An old debt must be paid.
Relationships: Gilgamesh | Archer/Arthur Pendragon | Saber
Comments: 16
Kudos: 15





	1. It's time.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Alleviation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26685637) by [Luna_guna13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_guna13/pseuds/Luna_guna13). 



> I've wanted to write about this for a long time. I finally got the chance.  
> Thank you [Luna_guna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_guna13/pseuds/Luna_guna13) for being my beta reader ([her twitter](https://twitter.com/Luna_guna13)). Her and [hovercraft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hovercraft/pseuds/hovercraft) / [@gilthurst on twitter](https://twitter.com/gilthurst) are at the origin of the Blue Boy Gilgamesh Alter.  
> Please go read this story to understand the origin of this Gilgamesh.
> 
> Beware, this story is mostly "inspired", I have my own interpretation of the characters.
> 
> You can find me on twitter and tumblr :  
> [@Basykail](https://twitter.com/Basykail)  
> and  
> [Basykail on Tumblr](https://basykail.tumblr.com/) OR [My fate inspiration](https://fate-inspiration.tumblr.com/)

The ground suddenly trembled.

The strange event prompted shock inside Inanna's Priestess, surprise filling her whole body. She grabbed her seat to stabilize herself and looked as other temple followers fell and screamed with terror, their hands protecting their sensitive ears from the deafening sound of the earthquake.

A horrible noise echoed through all parts of the Kingdom. Something, somewhere... anywhere, was producing the appalling sonance, like the tolling of a bell. The air vibrated, those who heard it - felt their souls oppressed by an unknown force, subjecting them to fears they were not even aware of.

Thus, the victims of this abomination began to pray to their gods, imploring their pardons and asking their help to be protected.

The Priestess glanced through the window and observed the mountains far away. Those silhouettes on the horizon that she had always feared for all her life long. While adepts cried, fear invaded her instead. Not due to the defeaning sound and the frightening earthquake, no, but because she was sure she knew the meaning of such a phenomenon.

She had received a dark heritage, passed down for generations. She had hoped not to be the one to have to accomplish this tragic fate. It was a cursed and heretical heritage, a blasphemy for her beloved gods.

But it was inevitable.

The ground calmed down and as the sound vanished, a long - eerie silence settled.. before the cries of terror and pain coming from outside of the temple hollowed.

The priestess stood up from her chair, trying her best to regain some composure. Her mind was flooded with thoughts and the knowledge she possessed...while assistants came to check for any injuries. But with quick reassurance, she ordered them to go and assist the inhabitants of Uruk.

But, one came from behind her, and the priestess looked at her personal assistant. “Go get Uruk's fastest messenger and bring them to me!" She ordered coldly - voice slightly shaking and slightly muffled by her emotions.

Although surprised, the assistant set off to find the messenger and rather quickly, she returned with a young man. The priestess approached him, once they were alone, and gave him some coin to pay in advance.

“ Far north you will find an old prison. In the depths of it and in the oldest of the cages, an unnamed prisoner has been waiting for a long time. Bring him in front of me quickly and you and your family will be graciously rewarded.”

The messenger found it strange, but without a word he obeyed and on horseback, he traveled through the regions of Mesopotamia in search of this old prison. When he finally reached the place, they were surprised to see him. Swiftly, he passed on the Priestess's request and to everyone's surprise, one jailer knew who he was talking about.

…

Several days passed before the messenger reappeared. Carefully, he introduced the prisoner to the priestess. 

He was an old man with a bony body - weak and fragile. His skin was gray, hair white, long and dirty. While a measly torn cloth, attempted to hide the pitiful body, lying on the floor.

The priestess stared at the prisoner, hiding her fear and apprehension behind a stern appearance, while the other followers studied the poor man in pity.

A generous reward was bestowed upon the messenger and an order to take care of the old man was ejected.

"Let him be purified in the sacred bath and be prepared for a ceremony." Questioning eyes heeded her way, but without a word, they obeyed her.

During that time, the woman welcomed a man. A royal advisor. A man with whom she spoke in secret, due to the disaster which occurred, days earlier. Naturally, their meeting rose questions and whispers. Some of the followers were curious, yet fearful about the upcoming events. Never had Inanna's priestess been so distant and secretive. The only thing they knew, was that the Priestess and the Advisor were going to leave with the unknown prisoner.

The Advisor prepared a convoy, while the Priestess ensured that the prisoner was treated with the utmost care.

The man was washed and cared for and clothed in a new, white - sacred garment reserved for the bridegroom only. He was then placed in the waiting convoy when everything was ready. Eventually, the Priestess joined them and shared the same vehicle. The caravan then left for the mountains she had observed for so long...a terrified emotion veiling her eyes.

During the trip, the woman prayed for a long time, an effort to keep her mind off things and to stay in touch with one's spirit. Being brave and patient was critical in such a situation... Soon, it would be over and her successors would no longer have to endure this horrible legacy. Just like her, the counselor tried to ease the tension in her threatening to overflow in her body, by studying the map. 

The road to the mountains was frightening. The landscape was dark, as if any glimmer of light was swallowed by the clouds themselves - a horrifying thought she no longer could stand to entertain...even if it was only for a mere second.

This mountain chain, in particular, had always been uninhabited, hence the place could not be exploited by men.

Night soon seemed to reign, despite it being daytime.

The two people in the vehicle had barely spoken since their meeting in the temple...no matter of their long discussions about progressing in this journey, they had not addressed the secrets surrounding the elephant in the room...

It made the Advisor uncomfortable.

"Who is this old man, high priestess?"

The woman continued to glance outside, the sinister mountains captivating her with their terrifying, yet intriguing appearance.

"I don’t know..."

She looked at the Advisor, as uncertain as he was.

"I just know that he is related to the debt Mesopotamia has with... with 'him'."

"So you too were left in the dark?" The Advisor was far from being a good man of the King's court, but he was, like the priestess, the only one who knew the truth. "What have we done in the past?"

"We blasphemed to save our people and now we must pay the price. This man stands between our salvation. We must do this task and never speak of it again."

The Advisor nodded silently and the rest of the trip went smoothly and quietly.

By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, the path had become too dangerous for horses and vehicles. They had no other choice but to continue on foot. Accompanied by a few people, they carried the dying prisoner into the stone labyrinth.

Despite knowing they had no other choice, they hesitated...ere, finally climbing the mountain. Even the Priestess and Advisor were weak with little, to almost no willpower. The place was like no other, such a dark and murky atmosphere it took all their energy to step forward.

But the Priestess refused to be overwhelmed and ordered them to follow her. She knew the way, inscribed in her memory after her predecessor had told her over and over - every detail and corner to take. So, as she lead the group, she prayed out loud to give herself and those following her strength...strength they were in desperate need for.

Sure, it was still daytime, but...it seemed almost near midnight. Their poorly lit torches managed to guide them on their path and lastly... they arrived at their destination.

Have you ever felt like you were facing certain death? As over the top, as it may sound, they felt it when they perceived the most heretical thing that could exist in all of Mesopotamia.

In front of them, housed in the cliffs, stood two large gates, carefully carved into the rock.

A most horrible work for the inexperienced eye, but terribly beautiful for those who knew how to look.

_The gates of the soul eater. The foreign god._

The doors were finely decorated and beautifully represented what was on the other side. The symbols carved in stone easily illustrated famine, war, disease and death... everything that living beings could fear most before their last breath.

A vision engraved itself in the minds of all those present, inspiring a nameless fear in the very heart of their souls.

Even, the Priestess had frozen for a moment, completely shell-shocked from the image, before belatedly... approaching the doors with a deep breath.

For the moment, the impressive doors were closed, and mockingly enough, a bell awaited their arrival - lifted by black chains, the old and rusty piece was just as horrible as the sculptures indebted the doors.

_A bell..._

Most certainly, the rang that alarmed the whole country several days ago.

The priestess ordered the old convict to be placed in front of the doors and urged them to stand at a reasonable distance away from them, so she could perform the ritual. With a final prayer, she approached the man.

Who was he, what had he done,...and by the gods, why were there so many consequences? Questions to which she would never find an answer to, so instead, she took pity on him. For her, he was just an abandoned man, a vulgar tribute.

After spending some time with the man, who barely had enough energy to breathe, she whispered Inanna's words one last time and stood up to approach the bell. The bell seemed unused for centuries long, awaiting for its time to come.

The Priestess breathed again. She had to be strong, stronger than everyone, otherwise, the consequences would be even worse. Soon, it would be over and she could return to the temple...her home.

She seized the old rope in her hand and pulled it with all her might.

The horrible sound was heard again.

Terrifyingly, the earth shook once more and petrifying all those present. The Priestess had rung the bell only once, but it felt like it would last forever. The woman staggered back, holding her ears, and watched the bell dance until it stopped and returned to a quiet position...thankfully. The noise disappeared and a heavy silence settled in. The woman moved back and joined the old man, while keeping her eyes on the bell, waiting for something, anything to happen...and to their luck, ( or perhaps misfortune?) the doors started to move.

The wind had stopped blowing, the air had frozen ...

Heavy and noisy mechanical gears rang around the doors. The rock trembled, the stone came loose, the chains shattered... causing the woman to shake in fear. With trembling hands, she clutched her clothes and froze as the doors finally opened, scratching and destroying the stone caging them.

A dark and invisible passage opened in front of her and a thick, black mist overflowed from the doors, blocking the eyes from those outside. Something disturbing...appeared, making the Priestess shudder. Emotionlessly, something rang inside the mist, alerting every single cell in her body. She didn't know what it was, or if it was real. But ... there was something in the mist. No, many unknown objects stirred in the mist.

An uncontrollable urge to flee seized her. But she was petrified. The Advisor, as cowardly as he was, refused to leave the woman alone in the face of this fate and joined her, grabbing her shoulders to support her under his shaking fingertips. And seemingly, his presence granted her the courage to pray.

But her body trembled, even more, when distant footsteps were heard, slow and metallic - resonating louder and louder from inside the door.

He was coming.

She exchanged a look with the Advisor and they knelt on the floor, bowing respectfully with their heads lowered.

An enigmatic shape finally crossed the mist and was illuminated by the glow of the torches. Its threatening and imposing form made their legs bend in fear, the woman held her breath as she watched the feet of the form approach the old man on the ground. She swallowed hard, a dark aura invading her whole being, as if to impose submission on anyone who dared to be in his presence. Fear paralyzed them all.

The imposing form simply stopped in front of the bony body on the ground, his cape dragging behind him danced and came to caress the inanimate form at his feet. A long silence fell. All the witnesses had a strange feeling about them, as if they were being observed at length and in detail. This man... this god, as the Priestess supposed, seemed to judge them, body and soul to the point that everyone felt naked before him.

All of them, at that moment, felt death licking their souls greedily, as if it wanted to devour them. Yes, torn from their bodies and devouring them before their eyes before they died. But instead, the man did nothing and seemed to wait, searching among them for what he had come for.

The Priestess hesitated, hesitated for a long time, she continued to whisper Inanna's prayers. Her gods were not far away, they were watching, listening. They knew that something was happening at the moment and they were paying attention. The Priestess was moved by a surge of courage in sensing their presence and she stood upright. The Advisor next to her panicked, but she ignored him. Slowly she looked up and observed the dark and imposing figure of the god in front of her. He was frightening. She had to find the strength not to collapse anymore. He crossed her eyes and she flinched. She couldn't see his eyes because of the immense and thick black armor he was wearing. His dragon armor was covered with red stigma that she thought was blood... It was... It was hard. But she managed to pull herself together and stood in front of him to face him. She swallowed one last time, shaking slightly, and reached out her hand to the dying man on the floor to show him her gift.

"Oh God, it is by my presence and my words that I honor the promise of the past and thus present to you the homage you demanded in return for your past goodness. Therefore, by this act, our debt is paid. May you spare us and return in peace to your kingdom."

The God seemed to have listened to her and with a slight metallic noise, he lowered his head, observing the pitiful man that was offered to him as a sacrifice.

But the silence continued, and the Priestess began to worry. Why was no action taken when everything was properly attended? The homage was to be presented when the bell rang, so that the kingdom could continue to prosper safely ... but the silence was disturbing and the Priestess's heart began to collapse with fear ...

She continued to look at him, watching the man straighten his gaze in her direction. Her little body was shaking... she felt a strange force forcing her to bend over again and she felt as if her head was being stepped on, forcing her even lower.

_"It is in elegance and in your most beautiful royal attire that you will be presented to me at the moment of your death. Thus, I can appreciate and accompany your last moments at my side, generously honored by your people, thanking you for the greatest sacrifice you have made for them, your soul in exchange for the perpetuation of the kingdom."_

The god thus spoke in a dark voice through his helmet, stopping and surprising the priestess with his words. The woman could not help but exclaim with surprise, as did the man next to her who exchanged a desperate look with her, realizing something...

"These have been my words in the past, for the day when I claimed your beloved King to become mine. And that's how you present it to me? A vulgar rag in a poor wedding dress? "

The priestess was startled at his words. She didn't understand, didn't realize the meaning behind those cold words.

"King...?" The word seemed to have been torn from her lips, as if it was impossible for her to imagine that the homage before them was in fact a King. But she did not have time to realize the mistake that had been made by her people, for the pressure on her soul crushed her chest in agonizing pain.

She almost suffocated and looked in horror at the Advisor who was going through the same thing.

She was going to die.

"You defiled him, destroyed him, blasphemed his body and soul before giving him to me and you hope to be spared?"

The voice had become darker and darker, a non-human voice resonating in the souls of all present, demonstrating his growing anger and the darkness of his being.

"Because of your deeds, I grant to all of you a fate more terrible than his, and it is through my purgatory that you and your people will meet with death. Did you want to punish him? Let it be the same with you... "

The Priestess ached to fight and apologize for the misunderstanding. They didn't know, how could they?! The man in front of them was just a stranger with a long-forgotten past. It was so incredibly unexpected....

But of course, she was deluding herself - all she wanted was to survive. This man had been intentionally left behind to punish them and she hadn't bothered to know the details of such a tale. She just had to do it in the name of her gods. Always in the name of her gods...

With an impulse of despair, she managed to straighten her gaze towards the god. But instead, she saw the most horrible sight a living being could ever experience. She was a helpless witness to what caused her death ... Filthy creatures appeared from the gates and the last thing she saw, was sharp teeth, tearing her face off - never granting the Priestess the time to scream.

…

The God watched impassively as the scene before him unfolded, last, weak cries were heard as his henchmen tore their prey with their teeth, tearing flesh and bones with ease. His servants, who had been starving for so long, despairing for merely a drop of blood to satisfy their thirst. And in a silent order, they glanced at their master one last time before flying away, far into the sky, reaching the plains and the first neighboring villages.

The god studied the dark sky where his servants disappeared, admiring their liveliness animated by hunger.

He then, raised his gloved hands to grab his helmet and to remove it. Lifting it up, his pale blond hair fell away and slowly fell over his broad shoulders. Cold, golden eyes then observed the helmet in his hands, before making it vanish into pure dust. Eventually...his gaze fell on the lifeless form of the man who was still on the ground, untouched by his servants. The smooth, impassive features of the God that made him so intimidating wrinkled around his eyes, showing anger, sorrow, and frustration at the sight that tore his heart.

“Love…”

He crouched, stretching out his hands hesitantly. He looked so fragile, so weak. The old man's body had since long, lost all vitality. Everything that had made this man had simply disappeared. Where was this beautiful smiling man who despised the Gods and loved to be dressed in gold?

With somewhat trembling hands, the God gently slipped his arms under the body, taking care to grasp it as tenderly as possible and lifted it against him.

He... He was so light, too light. He weighed nothing. It was empty, empty from everything. His dying body was barely alive. His soul was locked up, his once blinding light had disappeared and waited for the claws of death to free him...Trapped for too long in this pitiful body that shouldn't be alive.

The God ached, his heart was torn apart by the sight of his love. His soul seemed so bruised... so wounded.

The God placed his face against that of the old man, caressing his skin with his own, feeling the folds of his wrinkles.

He stood up with the man in his arms, whispering the tender words he had wanted to say to him for so long. He turned to the doors and entered them once more, while his minions continued to fly in great numbers to Mesopotamia, solely existing to satisfy their master's desire for revenge.

…

The God walked slowly through the darkness, ignoring the heart-rending cries and complaints of his creatures, eager to feed on what he had in his arms. Promptly, the God touched the black river, calming the endless stream that flowed through his entire kingdom. A special river that would bring peace to his love.

He held the body affectionately in his arms and observed it for a moment.

"Beloved..." His murmurs were torn by sadness and frustration. The dying man stood there, breathing slowly, so agonizingly slow.

The God smiled... his face was unrecognizable by old age, yet he recognized certain features that brought back precious memories. He loved to observe his love while he slept, breathing quietly while he dreamed. But here, the man was not sleeping, he was merely surviving, his body was stubbornly staying alive. No matter, he just needed help... just a little.

He caressed the bony nose with his own, gently stimulating the old man who finally reacted to his delicate touches. With a slight spasm around the sunken eyes, his eyelids sought to open with a puny effort.

His smile slowly widened when he finally saw it, if only by a little, his precious, red and bloody irises. How long had it been since he had seen them? How long had it been since he had admired those gorgeous orbs? Too long... much too long ago. He wished he could bear his anger, affection, smile, tears once again... All those emotions that his love could possibly express in his eyes. But now, those once lively eyes were just empty.

The God bit his lips, holding back those mocking emotions that threatened to rise. So, he continued to smile at his love, hoping it would make him happy.

"Love... All is well. You can let go now...you can let go. ”

At these words, the red eyes focused slightly, peering at the god for the first time. His chapped and crumpled lips moved barely. But, the divine being cherished the feeble attempt to speak, regardless there was no strength. No real, force to move the lips apart. In the end, it didn't matter...

"No one can hurt you now. No one can reach you anymore. With me, in safety, for all of eternity, you will no longer be a victim of Mankind. "

And slowly... the God slipped into the river, continuing to cradle his love in his arms, until the water reached his waist. He looked one last time at the old man, smiling tenderly at him, looking at his lips, which he instantly coveted, with the sole purpose of relieving him.

“You can let go now…”

He watched the red in his eyes one last time, before raising the body of the dying man in his arms to approach and kiss him chastely, robbing him of one last kiss.

But not just one last kiss. He gently breathed his last breath of life, freeing his body from all the pain he could feel. Then their lips parted, and the golden eyes slowly closed, while his lover's last heartbeat echoed and he eventually laid dead in his arms.

Finally…

The man commemorated his face in memory as he let the body gently slide from his arms. The black water slowly engulfing him.

As soon as his body came into contact with the water, he dissolved as if he was in acid - gradually, every cell, every hair, every part of his body was devoured. The skin slowly became flesh, then bones, before disappearing. But the man who loved him so much always seemed to hold him in the water.

The process had only just begun... Where the old man once stood something shiny appeared, gently replacing his silhouette and shimmering beneath the surface of the water. The God smiled at his sight, rather satisfied to see the ever-effective result of these waters in his subterranean world. But his smile became sad at the moment when the white of that glow changed into a translucent, blue color.

A color that intimated the state of his soul. Something he could do nothing about.

Slowly, the god leaned forward, seizing the brilliant being who took the old man's place and hoisted him out of the water, into his arms.

Now he was an unconscious young man, certainly frail, but with a young body, smooth skin, soft lips, silky skin and long eyelashes.

The king, Gilgamesh.

Naked in his arms, his body glowed a strange blue before, ever so slowly, his skin turned a pale beige and his hair converted into a more opaque blue.

He was different... but it was indeed him, liberated from the mortal body and now materialized in the form of a soul that he kept preciously for him…

"You are finally home… Love."

The god turned around, slowly pulling himself out of the water, kissing the figure in his arms... 

"You can rest now..."

...

*****  
************  
**To be continued.**


	2. The origin.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A choice, a decision, a hope... the courage to do what feels right..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again Luna_guna for correcting the BETA.  
> I hope you enjoy this part!
> 
> You can find [here!](https://twitter.com/Basykail/status/1356318099755175939) an illustration I made especially for this story, perfectly representing the theme.

************  
*****

"My King, please, don't do this!" The Priestess, who had reluctantly followed her Majesty through the rocky labyrinth to convince him to turn back, begged for more and more, and now she was paralyzed in front of the closed doors in the mountain.

While she was frightened and at the end of hope, the man remained proud. The vision was ghastly, but in no way intimidating according to him.

"This is no longer the time to argue, Siduri, Uruk is lost, but its people still live and I intend to save them."

"But you will lose your soul..." Begged the woman again, desperately holding her king by the arm, trying to prevent him from approaching the gates. "There is still a chance to redeem yourself, if you meet this foreign god, the soul eater, they will never forgive you. I beg you, my King, let's flee the country..."

"Does it really matter? Those gods you adore didn't stop Tiamat from sending her children to devour us and you still venerate them? You are a fool!" He said while looking at her and pulled his arm free.

"If you hadn't rejected them a long time ago, this would never have happened. But there is still the possibility of returning to their good grace. For pity's sake, don't go, they will not forgive you, nor them, nor even your people. For them, you are already the cause of all this chaos, do not make this mistake which will also be your end!"

The king studied her for a long time.

"Would you have preferred that I follow their orders, by becoming their puppet in the sole hope of manipulating my people through me? Would you have liked to be a disposable servant, Siduri? Accepting this fate just hoping for their love in return? Is that what you would have wished?"

"If this could have saved Uruk, yes! Yes with all my heart, my King!"

"Then you haven't understood anything." He makes another dismissive gesture before turning away from her and walking towards the doors. "No matter how much you hate me, I will not allow the gods of Mesopotamia to use us, much less our mother to destroy us..."

"But you want to address a foreign god!"

"This god is neither Mesopotamian nor truly divine... He does not need to be worshipped to exist. No matter how much time passes, he will persist through the ages, for he simply feeds on death, whatever its form. For a long time, he has aspired to enter the domain of Ereshkigal because she preciously guards the souls he would love to devour, but he does not need prayers, nor to be venerated, nor to manipulate a human to exist..."

“My King…”

"ENOUGH! If you're going to keep begging, go away!"

The woman sobbed again, ignored by the king, who walked slowly towards the bell waiting outside. Although it was daylight, darkness reigned in these places as if it was night and it was with an almost hesitant gesture that he grabbed the rope and rang the bell for the first time.

The sound chilled his back and froze his veins as he heard Siduri's desperation behind him, barely covered by the sinister melody.

His gaze was turned directly to the mountain, watching the stone rumbling and the ground trembling. The sound of the gear mechanisms could be heard after a moment, and slowly the two large doors opened in a 'thud'.

The doors gave access to a black and opaque abyss, leaving no possibility to observe the gloomy interior. An equally dark, thick mist seemed to escape from the opening and spread gently over the floor, before simply disappearing.

Gilgamesh stopped himself from swallowing, unaware of what awaited him, knowing full well that it wasn't like the underground where Ereshkigal reigned... it seemed to be worse.

Even though he could not see what was inside, there was no doubt in his mind that he was being watched, not by a pair of eyes, but by hundreds, looking at him and Siduri with a ferocious appetite that was not concealed. But it wasn't their gaze that caused Gilgamesh to feel anxious, it was a distant gaze, plunged into darkness, having laid eyes on him once the doors had opened.

For a reason he didn't know... he knew he was expected.

He sighed, no fear came to invade him, merely caution. He had already survived more terrible ordeals, this one will not be different.

He began to move forward, making Siduri gasp. She wanted so badly to stop him, again and again, for that he would stay with her and give up, but too late, the open doors were a danger to the mortal world, they should have never been opened.

Gilgamesh stood in front of the doors and watched the mist touch his feet before looking far into the darkness. He knew that he had the full attention of the soul eater at that moment, so all he had to do was respond to his curiosity.

"I come to make a request..." He announced himself.

For some reason, he sensed that someone smiled at him, as if delighted with his visit, and in one breath the black mist spread as if it had been swept away, opening a path directly in front of the king. The creatures hiding in the shadows also moved away, pushed by the force imposed on them and the agitation they had been showing until now, decayed and it was with curiosity that they were now looking at him. The mist opened the way along a great and infinite corridor until it revealed the presence of a blue flame that was previously hidden in the distance. A brazier showed the way.

Gilgamesh frowned. He had made it his duty and it was this duty that motivated him to come to this place. Siduri's complaints were suddenly heard behind him, desperately trying to stop him once again, whatever the consequences, she could not let her king enter this place disapproved of by her gods.

But Gilgamesh ignored her, he walked a few steps forward and suddenly the mist closed the path behind him, locking him inside.

Silence suddenly invaded the man, making him alert. He turned to see his fate. There is no turning back now. He contracted his body, agreeing to resign himself to the situation that was being imposed upon him.

He turned around again and looked towards the Brasero, which was waiting in the distance. So, he walked silently into the darkness, walking almost blindly...

The ground and the walls were invisible to him because of the darkness, but the feeling under his feet was hard and the sound of his footsteps resonated strongly against the stone. At times, he could hear movement around him... above his head. The creatures in the half-light were there, watching him and perhaps following him closely. But Gilgamesh did not let himself be intimidated, although he remained suspicious, he continued to stay focused on the brazier that was approaching. When he finally reached it, he realized that its light was weaker than it seemed. He had to bring his hand close enough to see his silhouette. The flame was far from ordinary, neither hot nor cold, a ghostly flame burning there.

He looked around him, seeing that there was another brazier further away that pointed in a different direction.

So that's how he was going to be guided here?

He continued to move forward to reach his next destination.

This path continued like that for a while. Loneliness embracing him in this heavy silence. Only the sounds of the creatures around him made him realize that he was not plunged into nothingness or a dream. At times, he heard distant sounds that sounded like screams... But what intrigued him the most was the sound of a flowing river.

What a strange place.

Later, he discovered that there was more than one brazier and he began to distinguish the landscape around him.

As he imagined, everything was particularly ugly and sinister, he could sometimes make out shapes moving in the dark, most certainly one of the creatures that had been following him since earlier.

But no matter, he felt he was close.

Shortly after, he managed to distinguish a road, the braziers invited him to follow it. And even later, he began to distinguish a form of architecture, more and more was illuminated by the light of these underground passages... until he saw a castle. A castle that was just as dark, sinister and ugly as the rest, but it inspired fear and dread in those who watched it. 

Gilgamesh was surprised to feel a drop of sweat running down his cheek... Cold sweats? He was not as impassive as he thought. But no matter what, he was going to confront the owner of the place.

Now that he knew his final destination, he quickened his pace and opened the doors to enter the castle and advanced through the corridors with a determined step to reach the great hall. The throne room.

The wooden doors opened abruptly as he passed through. As expected, a throne at the top of a staircase was there, and a large figure dressed in black armor waited there.

He didn't bow, he didn't greet him, he approached, staring at this armor and provoked him willingly with his eyes, not hiding his repulsion in the presence of a "superior entity". An attitude that should have provoked at least a grin of anger, or a certain desire to subdue him like the poor mortal he was, despite his divine blood. But nothing. Silence and armor remained perfectly still before him.

The king gently pursed his lips, suspecting that he was being mocked.

"Foreign God, I come before you for a petition. Will you hear me?"

Nothing.

As in the beginning, the armor remained motionless and silence was its only response. Gilgamesh held a scornful gesture on his lips.

"Do you hear me, God?"

His blood suddenly froze in his veins when he felt the nearby presence behind him and against his temple, a heatless breath caressed his skin.

“Yes.”

Gilgamesh suddenly turned around, refusing to be surprised, but nothing. He was alone, and his hand had instinctively reached up to his cheek to ease the unpleasant feeling on his skin. He continued to look around, trying to understand. He felt a presence... but where?

From the corner of his eye, he finally saw a silhouette resting against one of the pillars that decorated the room and turned suspiciously towards it, meeting the golden and amused gaze of a tall and imposing man, pale in appearance and dressed in a distinguished black outfit.

The king blinked, unable to stop himself from swallowing. It was useless to wonder about the identity of this man. It was obvious...

The man looked at him with curiosity, his cold golden eyes, lifeless, judging him for a long time. He held his chin in his contemplation of Gilgamesh, openly studying him from top to bottom. He moved a finger on his lips as he reflected, then displayed a smile.

"King of Uruk... What a nice surprise ~" He finally said, breaking the ice that had been forming between them.

Gilgamesh regained his composure with a sense of frustration in his chest. But no matter... "Soul Eater..."

The man raised an eyebrow at this appellation and merely moved from the stone column behind him, positioning his hands behind his back, carrying a naturally upright and elegant posture as he began to walk.

"I thought you were going to turn to the gods of Mesopotamia for help."

Of course he knew it, how could he not have known? As the dead have been piling up in large numbers for the past few months, the foreign god had repeatedly scratched the doors of Ereshkigal's underground passages, indignant at the growing hunger he felt knowing that there was so much fresh soul in the goddess' lair. Inanna's priestesses went to inform Gilgamesh.

"I turned my back on these gods a long time ago. They will do nothing."

"And that's why you come to me for your salvation, Gilgamesh?" Said the pale man, keeping an eye on the king as he walked slowly around him.

"The salvation of my people, Soul Eater..." Coldly corrected the king. He already knew his tragic destiny and the imminent death that awaited him, for his people there was hope.

The god snapped his tongue, showing once again his disagreement with this appellation.

"That's such a disgraceful way to name me."

"Alas, it is impossible for me to call you otherwise... You do not belong to any pantheon existing in this world. Past, present or future..."

It was true. The god stopped and smiled more softly at him this time, turning to him.

"How would you like to name me, then?" He asked with amusement, testing the king and his imagination.

Gilgamesh frowned, reluctant to get into his little game. He looked at the god for a long time with severity, as if he was facing a child.

"I'm not here for your personal entertainment and time is running out." replied the king curtly.

"Ah..." The god tilted his head slightly to the side, not losing his smile, but his eyes wrinkled at such impertinence. "If that is all that concerns you, little mortal, time has no hold here. The present became slow the moment you walked through the doors. For your little servant girl, you have only just entered my domain and she is still crying your name in a particularly annoying way, certain that she will never see you alive again. A moment frozen in time." He smiles more when he sees the king's incredulous look. Slowly, he approached him, moving the mortal one step back for safety and stopped not far away, bending forward so that the height would not be so noticeable. "There is no need to hurry," he added in a suave voice, staring with red eyes.

Gilgamesh repelled an annoyed tick on his face, time was one of the elements he counted on not to linger here, but if the god was telling the truth... he was at his mercy for an indefinite time. He pursed his lips.

"I don't know what name would suit you..." He finally confessed, taking up the previous subject of their conversation on his own. The god seemed satisfied.

He slowly resumed his walk around the king.

"It is true that a name cannot really designate who I am or what I symbolize. In this case, I suppose I am free to choose what I want." He stopped not far behind Gilgamesh, watching from the corner of his eye the man who preferred not to be surprised again. But the god only smiled at what he had in mind and turned to Gilgamesh to catch his attention. "Arthur..."

"Arthur?" That's an unusual name in its day. The king looked at him for a moment, making sure the god was not mocking him. "Very well, Arthur, the foreign god of Mesopotamia... I have come here to make a request of you."

The god seemed delighted.

"What's it to you to have the impudence to show up here?" The answer was already known, of course, but every oath or contract had to be quoted or written down before it could be executed.

"Help me save my people by defeating Tiamat and her children." Demanded the king as he turned entirely to him.

Arthur mocked slightly.

"What would I gain by offering to help you, little mortal?"

Gilgamesh opened his mouth to answer. He had, of course, already thought about the counterpart of what he was going to offer to the god, but he realized that sacrifices would not be enough, noting the greed and immense hunger that the god had in his eyes. Another drop of cold sweat ran down his face... Fearing the consequences.

"What do you want in return?" It was risky to grant him a free choice, but to save his people, he was willing to do anything.

"Mmmh." Arthur could expect a generous offer, like gold, blood, land... But he smiled when he saw that Gilgamesh was no fool, that all that a mortal could offer was nothing compared to what he wanted most. So he took time to reflect, imposing fear and impatience on Gilgamesh. He adored to see this beautiful face express so many emotions. "I wish two things, King Gilgamesh."

He approached the king again, who this time did not back down.

"First, I want one-third of the souls in Ereshkigal's protection." He affirmed with hunger. This startled the king and his eyes opened in amazement at such a request. How could he convince Ereshkigal, or to force the gates, so that the god can serve himself as he pleased, under the nose of the goddess? It would be blasphemy and an act of treason. "The second..." He noticed that Arthur was closer than the previous time, but before he could react, he felt icy fingers lift his chin so that the king could straighten his face towards him, causing Gilgamesh to watch in terror as the lifeless golden eyes scrutinized his soul with a spark of chilling lust. "You."

The king swallowed once more, feeling almost paralyzed. He was not frozen because of the hand that had dared to touch him, no... he felt something grasping his throat, but not his physical body, his soul.

"Me...?" he repeated, half choking.

The god licked his lips, swallowing the saliva that accumulated in his mouth due to the sinful dish in front of him.

"Yes, you... you are surprisingly appetizing. I can hardly resist the urge to kill you so I can make you my meal now." Arthur's fingers drift down his cheek and onto his lips, as if he were smearing his fingers with the King's essence. "You are the one I want at all costs in this agreement. It is of your own free will that you will give yourself to me, a gift graciously offered is so much tastier to savor. If not... "The god owned a sadistic twist on his face, watching every feature of the king's face as he struggled to resist his hold. "I let you imagine the consequences of having bothered me in my domain for such a derisory request, even though your visit was very entertaining."

Gilgamesh bit himself inside the lip, looking at the god sternly while imagining very well what kind of consequences his refusal would have. Yet it was not something he was particularly afraid of. He was not afraid to be the equivalent of a cattle if it would allow him to get what he wanted. But the idea that he could let Tiamat achieve his goal disgusted him even more.

"Concluded..."

The god's face lit up with rapture, seeming to undress Gilgamesh with a clear desire to own. The hold on his neck disappeared the next instant, but Arthur's hand drifted across his neck, meeting the necklace the king was wearing. Gilgamesh looked down on his wrist.

"Now?" He asked, fearing he would leave him no choice.

Arthur choked a small laugh, touching Gilgamesh as if it already belonged to him, his hand drifting on his shoulder.

"No... we'll do it right." He gently caressed his arm, a movement that was followed by Gilgamesh's eyes as he began to fear what the god might have in mind. "Your soul... I intend to savor it when it is ripe. An experienced soul is so much more delicious compared to that of a toddler."

He delicately grasped the wrist of the king, who did not dare to move, and delicately carried his hand to his icy lips, as if it were something frail and fragile, gently grasping his skin while gently breathing in his scent, while his eyes still stared at those of Gilgamesh.

"It is in elegance and in your most beautiful royal attire that you will be presented to me at the moment of your death. Thus, I can appreciate and accompany your last moments at my side, generously honored by your people, thanking you for the greatest sacrifice you have made for them, your soul in exchange for the perpetuation of the kingdom."

These words thundered through the room like an invocation and a silent spell was performed on Gilgamesh, like a commitment that he will not be able to get rid of. The king was breathless after a strong breath, feeling his body tense, with an unpleasant sensation in his back. It was obvious to the monarch that he had just linked his destiny to that of the divine. A moment passed before the sensation disappeared and he felt a weakness seizing him, before he grew tired.

An arm grabbed him by the waist before he collapsed and his body rested against Arthur's, who took the opportunity to breathe the scent in his hair, embracing the mortal like his most precious treasure.

It took a long time for Gilgamesh to pull himself together, regaining his composure after taking deep breaths. He was a little shocked to be in the arms of the other, so he weakly tried to stabilize his arms, to get away from the other. But he merely made it to Arthur's chest, while his waist was firmly held by Arthur - who was watching him in pure amusement.

"Let go. You yourself announced that you will only get me at the moment of my death..."

"Oh..." Arthur displayed a carnivorous smile as he leaned his face closer to Gilgamesh's. "That doesn't stop me from having a taste..."

Gilgamesh panicked in his arms, but there was no time to struggle as the god suddenly retreated, still holding Gilgamesh's wrist in his hand, and pulled the king towards him, spinning him around, momentarily disorienting the king, who lost his balance. As he fell, he felt his body being held above the ground, while the god persisted on holding him by the waist.

Gilgamesh's eyebrows frowned and he was forced to hold on to the god to avoid falling, but before he could express his anger, he realized that the room they were in was different, even bigger, brighter. Arthur gently pulled Gilgamesh up to his feet and stepped a few paces back to admire the king from head to toe. For some odd reason, although he had never seen one, the king guessed that they were now in a ballroom, and with a frown, he noticed Arthur's gaze as the God held both his hands in his own. As he followed the piercing gaze, he regarded his new set of clothing. A black and gold evening gown, which matched perfectly with the garment of the god before him.

"What the..."

Once again, the god surprised him and pulled him back to himself. He still held one of his hands, while the other one turned again on his lower back, pressing Gilgamesh's pelvis against his own.

"May I have a dance, Your Majesty?"

To see Arthur play with him so openly was unbearable, but...there wasn't so much he could do. Any effort to move away was futile against the larger male's strength and Gilgamesh couldn't help but click his tongue in displeasure.

Realizing that any protest was a waste of time...he sighed and raised his disapproving gaze against the amused look of the master of this gruesome place.

"Mind me, I'm not so young anymore..." He said weakly, or rather frustrated.

"Don't underestimate yourself." Reassured him, Arthur.

Music of unknown origin began to be heard and after a moment Arthur started to move, taking Gilgamesh with him.

At first the dance was slow, resembling a simple waltz, then the rhythm began to follow the music perfectly. which satisfied Arthur greatly, while shamelessly admiring the incredulous face of the king. The king was uncomfortable, not because he couldn't follow the dance, but because he knew exactly how to follow Arthur. How could he have known this? He didn't even recognize such strange music, or that such a dance was even possible.

Disturbed, he let Arthur do a good part of the dance until he was comfortable, and finally, began to dance in an uncontrollable way, prompting Arthur to make the dance more complex, more daring, more ... intoxicating.

Slowly, Arthur began to make some sort of figure with the king, turning him on himself, changing the steps of the waltz to make their bodies tangle and become more sensual.

The king felt... strange. He clung to Arthur in different ways at different times of the dance and Arthur did the same so that he could manipulate his body as he wished.

The spirit of the king began to drift gently, allowing himself to be overwhelmed by a sensation which's name was completely foreign to him. Although at first, he struggled not to let himself be swept away, little by little... His mind was submerged and his eyes were veiled as Arthur began to take even bolder steps, lifting the king, bending his body backwards, grasping his hips, chest, legs...everything. Why was it so euphoric?

…

The dance was coming to an end.

How long did it last? A few minutes? Hours? Days?

Hwy did it matter? The king had forgotten the very reason for his presence, his foggy mind could not think.

Arthur performed his last dance steps, spinning Gilgamesh on himself one last time, but at the end, he grabbed Gilgamesh's body from behind and stuck to it while the music ended, at last... 

The king's body was exhausted, his breathing was heavy, and his skin was hot and sweaty. He felt the god bending, burying his face in his neck while one hand stroked his belly and the other gently held his wrist. Arthur's tongue was felt against his skin, licking up to his jaw. Gilgamesh panted, shivered, a quiet sound left his mouth, particularly delicate.

Arthur savored the taste on his tongue, licking his lips as he held Gilgamesh preciously in his arms.

"A delight..." He murmured in his ear, then nibbled at the lobe, making the king shudder once again.

Gilgamesh then willingly offered his neck by tilting his head to the side, obeying an invisible force that he believed to be his own will. The god smiled against his skin, his hand on his wrist came to meet the collar of the garment and untied the knots, exposing the skin he had already once kissed.

He then felt teeth, licking the area that was covted...until suddenly, with a sharp movement, Arthur harshly bit to pierce the leather.

Gilgamesh moaned but did not struggle. His body trembled with pain, while being supported by the arms of the god who held him so incredibly possessively. After a moment, Arthur finally loosened his jaw, freeing the king from the pain, and licked the bitten area one last time to relieve him. But there was no blood, no marks. The skin was as flawless as it had been at the beginning as if he had done nothing. Yet Arthur smiled, pure satisfaction adorning his face, as he observed his work which was invisible to mortals.

Gilgamesh's soul was deeply marked and bled with the god's imprint to make it his own.

Arthur let Gilgamesh catch his breath before turning his body to face his own, now observing him intimately. The king's eyes were still veiled, still under the hypnosis of the god, who savored his relaxed features. He raised his hand to take the king's face in a cup and gently kissed the corner of his lip delicately.

"Let's relax before we release you, Gilgamesh, you still have a lot to go through before you are definitely mine."

Arthur's words resonated in the king's head and without understanding, he found himself lying in bed, naked - watching Arthur bend him over with lust while their bodies mingled against one another, an intense pleasure pulsing through his abdomen.

He let Arthur do what he wanted with him and for a long time, he was under the god's influence. But time passed, the spell slowly evaporated, and Gilgamesh gradually became aware of the moments he spent with Arthur. A strange time that was both frozen and still going by.

He didn't know how long he had spent there with Arthur, but it seemed like centuries to him. The hunger had finally disappeared in the god's golden eyes and turned into affection. His words were sweeter, and Gilgamesh appreciated it when he called it "Love".

-

"King Gilgamesh!"

Gilgamesh was suddenly startled, as if abruptly awakened from a long dreamless sleep.

He felt shaken by little hands that had grabbed his shoulders and he finally regained consciousness.

"What..." Bewildered, disoriented, he recognized Siduri, who stood before him and looked at him with a joy at finding him alive, but also with a nameless terror on his face. "Siduri?" Perplexed, he looked around him, not being able to distinguish much in the darkness.

"My King! You are alive..." She cried and cried. She restrained herself for a while, but eventually, she threw herself into the king's arms to hold him tightly and to never let go.

Gilgamesh looked at her, trying to gather his ideas which were still in disorder, while memories slowly returned to his mind.

What happened? He remembered going through the doors... but then?

The King placed one hand on the Priestess' shoulder, comforting her as she continued to cry in his arms, while the other remained on his face, attempting to clear his mind from the mist that had swallowed it.

He vaguely remembered what happened. He walked in and then... 

"Siduri... how long?" He managed to ask.

The Priestess pushed herself up and wiped away her tears, scraping her congested throat to regain his voice.

"I... I don't know. It was very confusing. I saw you go into the mist, but you came out immediately. Did you give up?"

What? Just a moment?

_Time has no hold here._

Oh that's true ... for Siduri, it didn't even last a minute, whereas for the king... He had the impression that he had lived multiple lives inside... No, it seemed like it only lasted a short time, as Siduri had described it, yet his memories told him just the opposite.

His memories...

Everything was so vague. He had flashes that showed him moments he had spent with Arthur.

Arthur? Why did he call the foreign god Arthur? Why did his chest twist at the thought of being away from him?

_Love... don't stay in front of the door when you're out..._

As he remembered the god's last words, a sinister and dangerous sound was heard behind the king, suddenly remembering why the god had given him this warning.

Suddenly, Gilgamesh grasped the silhouette of Siduri who gasped in surprise in his arms and rushed with her to the side to get out of the way of the door. For the next moment, an endless stream of winged and screaming monsters rushed out of the doors, flying far into the air to accomplish the mission their master had given them.

Siduri shouted in terror in his arms, while the king watched the gruesome spectacle unfold before his eyes.

It seemed like an eternity to them.

But eventually calm returned and Gilgamesh found that there were two creatures that had stayed close to them, watching them from afar, silent and patient.

Siduri trembled in his arms as she noticed their presence, while Gilgamesh looked at them with aversion. But he remembered, little by little, what happened behind the doors. At first he felt disgusted... then he thought it wouldn't be as bad as it seemed. In reality... he couldn't wait to go back. But his life had to go on before that.

“Siduri.”

The king held the Priestess's shoulders to capture her full attention. The king had made commitments and he had to inform her so that his agreement with the foreign god would be respected. Then he revealed everything to her, down to the smallest detail, even though the woman seemed incredulous at such revelations. She was astonished about many things, but tried to understand them. There was, however, one point she could not accept.

"You can't do that. Opening the gates of the undergrounds of Ereshkigal will condemn you. You could be punished for this despite the fact that you are a king and your blood is partly divine. You could be disgraced or worse, you..."

“Siduri…”

The woman fell silent to the calm voice of her king, who's pleading look made her heart torn in pieces.

"These creatures are here to make sure I do. If I do not, they may come after us and my people at the same time as they come after Tiamat... Is it not better to offer the dead, than to see my subjects continue to die? It is a small price compared to what we can earn..."

Siduri opened her mouth in protest... but she said nothing, lowering her eyes to show that she understood. She pressed the king tightly against her and he returned it. They were about to commit intolerable acts... to save the kingdom.

In silent agreement, they took the road back to join the horses they had left at the foot of the mountain. Gilgamesh, however, took one last look at the gates that for the moment remained open for the creatures' future return. Feeling Arthur's eyes one last time, he seemed to say goodbye to him in the distance, before disappearing.

What happened next was quite clear. Gilgamesh and Siduri traveled to another part of the kingdom while avoiding a meeting with the children of Tiamat and searched for an entrance to the underground tunnels of Ereshkigal..while filthy creatures followed their every move.

Praying with all her strength, Siduri asked the gods for forgiveness while the king opened the way by destroying the gate. The creatures soon rushed in and in no time, others joined them to revel in all those souls placed at their disposal.

As expected, only a third of Ereshkigal's protected souls were stolen from the Goddess... but the Goddess was angry, furious that she had been so betrayed.

The winged creatures killed all the children of Tiamat and forced the goddess to retreat away from the kingdom. When it was finally over, the king and Priestess joined the refugees from this horrible event. But they were not well received, as Siduri feared... Other priestesses were present, and they reported the wrath of Ereshkigal and what had been done to drive back Tiamat. Although this allowed the people of Mesopotamia to subsist... The gods were angry and, not surprisingly, everything was blamed on the king.

But the king did not let himself be taken in so easily. He pleaded his defense and the people knelt before his authority, even though the grudge of having definitively lost their ancestor was still fresh in their minds.

But Gilgamesh's misfortunes was just beginning. Shortly afterwards, a priestess announced a disastrous prophecy about the people if the king was not punished for betraying the gods, and so it happened.

The disease reached the weak, the soil became impoverished and the plants stopped growing. Water became scarce and various conflicts broke out between families and clans. Newborns died and all the elders were dead...

The people were angry.

Gilgamesh tried hard to control the situation, refusing to submit after all he had done so that they could survive on their land... but the people turned against him.

The guards betrayed him and the king found himself stoned to death by the people, in the center of the square of the new Uruk that he was trying to rebuild as best he could. The magi blocked his powers and the priests condemned him... Only Siduri was on his side, defending him with all her strength, even going so far, to protect him with her own flesh. But she was taken from him and locked up in the temple for the rest of her life for daring to protect the treacherous king.

As for Gilgamesh... In an attempt to satisfy the gods, he was tortured and imprisoned in infamous conditions.

The gods seemed to be overjoyed, for the misfortunes that the people had been suffering through have gradually begun to disappear. So Gilgamesh suffered the wrath of all again for a long time.

The only reason why the king did not find himself mutilated and disfigured was his mother Ninsun, who refused to never again recognize her son when she looked at him... But she could not prevent the worst sentence a living being could suffer.

_Disappear._

The gods commanded and the people obeyed. All representations of Gilgamesh were destroyed and his name was erased and forgotten. They went to lock the man in the farthest prison in the kingdom and it was in the deepest cage that he was locked up, making sure that no one could ever meet him again except his jailer.

Desperate, and bruised...The king deplored the misfortune he was suffering, yet he had no regrets. He had managed to save his people from imminent destruction. Now, for all this to finally stop... He simply had to wait for his death to find the peace that was promised to him in warm arms.

He hoped that Siduri had succeeded in transmitting the conditions of the foreign god to prevent misfortune from befalling Mesopotamia again, so that when his time came, he would return to the gates... where Arthur was waiting for him.

But the King had not considered everything.

Gilgamesh was a half god, his life was unfortunately long and boring in this cage... by the time he became old and weak, he couldn't wait to die. However, one night before his time... Ereshkigal came to visit him.

The Goddess was not known for being cruel and rare was the time when she came out of her underground... But that night, she was there, in front of the king who looked at her, frightened.

She took four identical vials out of her satchel and placed them gently in front of him. Inside each of them was the same herb, immersed in a liquid that was simply water. Gilgamesh had no trouble recognizing the plant... and he felt his heart being painfully tugged by the fear of the goddess' intentions.

"It has been a long time, King Gilgamesh... I have come here to carry out a new sentence... the sentence of time."

The king watched her impassive face, feeling his hopes crumble.

"These souls were under my protection, Gilgamesh, I had been protecting them from the foreign god for centuries. And now, by your selfishness, you offered them to him on a silver platter, without even consulting me..."

The king's mouth was particularly dry and he dragged himself to the bottom of the cage to stay away from the woman. 

"I am both angry and sad for you. Now it's time to pay for your unforgivable crime, for all those souls who will never come back to life." She pointed to the vials in front of her. "Four plants, four lives. Patience will be your only salvation here, King of Mesopotamia... forgotten by all."

"No... wait..." He wanted to beg, but the goddess left him no choice and forced him to drink from one of the vials.

A moment later, the goddess admired the small form of a young boy crying at her feet, healthy, screaming in despair when all he wanted was the survival of his people... just the survival of his people.

But he paid the price for such a desire.

The goddess disappeared with the other vials, leaving the little boy to his fate. His jailer took care that he was well-fed and healthy until the end of this life, and the goddess came back again at the end of this one...and the next...until there was no more vial.

The man who was once a king, suffered the ravages of time and the isolation that this could have on his mind. He had so little human contact that the man went almost mad, almost forgetting how to speak, how to think, forgetting his memories.

He had simply become a shadow of his former self, a simple body abandoned in an infamous prison.

…

…

…

A sound.

The sound of a bell.

The abandoned man barely opened his eyes, awakened by this horrible sound that made the air around him vibrate. Yet... yet... Why does it sound so pleasant to his ear?

*****  
************  
**To be continued.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But the consequences are heavy...
> 
> The anger of Arthur, the foreign god, is now understandable. Poor Gilgamesh, I don't like to make the characters I love suffer.
> 
> The last part is coming soon. :)


	3. Forever.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The darkness is so comfortable. He wants to stay there forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to Luna_Guna for checking the Beta.
> 
> Here is the last part.

************  
*****

He floated

For some reason, he floated.

A strange and unfamiliar sensation. Dense darkness surrounded him and there he was, alone.

He floated.

The darkness around him was welcoming, pleasant, his whole body felt complete. The sensation induced him to stay like this for all eternity, to relax, to forget...to disappear.

However, a slight, _barely_ , audible 'crack' was heard.

At that moment, the darkness around him seemed to have been pierced. The muscles around his face contracted, causing friction against the cloth he lied on.

That _sound_..., that touch, what was it?

It was intriguing.

He barely stirred, and the touch intensified.

What was it?

He sighed and heard the sound of his own breath, before finally, gently emerging. The darkness became less thick and little by little he felt his senses being stimulated and awakened by the environment he was in, and eventually, the feeling of drifting along - slowly disappeared.

His first observation was that he was lying on something comfortable and thick. In the second, he was covered with a fabric that kept him warm. Thirdly, his face was huddled against something soft.

The smell came next. The fabric smelled good. Slightly fragrant, something fresh, but also a slightly familiar smell. Something he liked, something he knew.

Then finally came the view.

His eyes were closed for the moment, but a soft light shone through his eyelids. A light that was neither the sun nor the moon. Nor was it the light of a fire... it was something else. Something that was far away in his memories, buried deep inside him.

A feeling of annoyance ran through him. There was too much unknown information and it troubled him. But before he could protest, he felt tired... so incredibly tired... His eyelids refused to open and so he laid there, waiting for the thick darkness to come and take him.

Another slight crack was heard.

This time, his whole body reacted. He jumped in bed, made a slight sound in his mouth and most of his muscles ached. He noticed new sensations all at once. But, why did he wake up? The darkness was the only place he would like to be at the moment. Coming out of it was not a good thing.

He sighed again, wanting to find another position, but then, he became aware of how difficult it was to move. His body seemed atrophied and particularly weak. Barely moving his head was an overwhelming effort and he found it difficult to simply turn his face.

He was so tired.

It was upsetting.

Why did he wake up? Coming out of the darkness was terrible... _Because it meant_ ...

He finally managed to open his eyes.

... _that he had not disappeared._

His eyes half-closed, he looked at the silhouettes in his field of vision. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, it seemed a bit blurry to him. There was some furniture in front of him, but their shapes and sizes were barely distinguishable.  
He wasn't quite sure where he was, but a familiar feeling surfaced in his chest when he looked at different angles in the room.

And at last...Another cracking sound appeared.

This time he didn't jump, because he realized that the noise was lower than he had thought. It seemed to come from behind him... so, with great difficulty, he managed to turn his head enough to see where the source of the light was and most certainly the source of the noise.

There was a fireplace in another corner of the room, burning wood that caused the noise as the fire devoured it. It was fascinating... not that the fire itself was, but the strange, ghostly blue colour of the fire was particularly curious and gave a strange atmosphere to the room. 

Why was this so curious?

This fire radiated heat. Not that a fire shouldn't do this, but this particular fire... He remembered once trying to touch it and it was neither hot nor cold. Just light. There had been no heat...

But the memory slipped from his mind as he simply stopped thinking about it and watched the fire dance with a sleepy air before looking up at the ceiling and the rest of the bedroom.

A bedroom...

He knew he was in a bedroom. A familiar bedroom, a strange fire, a soothing smell.

Where was he?

In spite of his state of weakness and his significant drowsiness, curiosity took over.

With great difficulty, he sat down and leaned on his arms, shaking due to the soreness of his muscles. He took a deep breath and strangely, felt out of breath when he finally managed to sit down, and noticed his nakedness under the blanket as fresh air caressed his skin.

He took the time to catch his breath, holding onto his seat as he leaned forward so he would not fall backwards. He noticed his hair falling in front of his eyes, a bluish glow emitting from it.

He blinked as he looked at the few strands of hair blurring his field of vision. He touched them with his fingertips, not quite understanding what they were. Eventually, he released the locks with a trembling hand before looking around him...until his gaze fell on a mirror.

This mirror...

He knew this mirror... He remembered having admired it for a long time, countless of times and in several circumstances. Images came to his mind... It was blurred, but he could see himself admiring himself in front of this mirror, a long time ago, trying on clothes that had been given to him. He could see himself with another man, taller, taking him in his arms... He could see himself in this bed with this same man making love to him... 

He...

But his mind swept away these memories, because the moment he crossed his own gaze, he noticed his intriguing appearance.

In front of him stood a rather young man, wrapped in warm blankets, with a thin and weak body. His skin was pale, his face inexpressive and his eyes were pink and could be seen through his hair. Somewhat, shiny blue hair fell a little in front of his face and on his shoulders. 

His shoulders... He noticed the presence of a mark, lodged in the hollow of his collarbone, which shone just as strangely as his hair. It was circular and irregular in shape... He raised his hand with difficulty to touch the surface of the skin, to feel the old scar with his fingertips before remembering that it was a proof, a signature, something that made him shiver when he caressed it.

He watched himself for a long time in the mirror, admiring the different colours that were far from familiar to him.

Pink... Why were his eyes pink? What colour were they again? And his hair... it wasn't blue either... What colour was it?

What… Colour...

Colour...

Gilgamesh thought for a moment, but he couldn't remember. Maybe, in the end, they were always pink and blue... his memory was so troubled that he couldn't even say the opposite. With a strange feeling, he continued to study the person in front of him, who seemed to be nothing more than a stranger.

_An outcast..._

Was it really his reflection?

...

His gaze turned away and he glanced ahead, gazing into the void. His thoughts drifted strangely around the shards of pictures that came and went in his mind. But it didn't matter, because a strong feeling of tiredness overwhelmed him and a cold and sad reflection came into his mind.

_Disappear._

A strange desire to return to the deep sleep, in which he found himself previously in, awakened. An urge of fulfilling a wish, no an order to which he had been subjected himself so long ago.

Disappear... just disappear.

_Disappear._

Yes, he had to go back there, it will undoubtedly allow him to fulfill the sad destiny that had been imposed on him and to which he had submitted to. He hadn't had the opportunity to do so yet, so... maybe this time it will work? There was no need to fight, after all... he wasn't worth it. He just had to disappear. Just close your eyes.

“Gil…?”

Suddenly, a strange voice was heard, taking the man out of his thoughts. He blinked with difficulty before straightening his head.

He spotted a new source of light coming from the other end of the room. An opening had been created and a large figure emerged, looking in his direction.

He turned his gaze with difficulty towards the new source of light and noise, so slowly that the silhouette had already advanced into the room and approached him.

Despite all of his efforts, he couldn't keep up with the silhouette, which seemed to belong to the same man he remembered a little earlier, who came to sit on the edge of the bed, opposite of him, coming to gently take one of his hands, causing a...pleasant shiver to caressed his skin... but he felt disgusted.

He didn't have the right to feel good, did he?

He looked for a moment at the hand holding his own, just as pale as he was, watching his thumb gently caress the surface of his skin. He noticed in a strange way that his touch was warm and not cold as he had known it in the past, it seemed slightly confusing as contradictory information, like the blue fire which technically should not give of heat.

With his eyes, he followed the path of the arm, to raise his gaze to the face of the newcomer.

He was a tall man, his skin and hair were pale and he was dressed in black. When he looked more closely at his face, which was so familiar to him, he finally noticed what he knew most about this man... his golden eyes.

This golden and icy look that always observed him with tenderness and that he had learned to love... This look that nowadays accompanied a soft and slightly troubled, or rather worried expression. It were the same eyes, years ago, that he had taken the time to observe them attentively and had noticed green pigments in certain places... gently reproaching him that they were far from perfection and which had provoked a small laugh in him, in this man he strangely cherished...

“A… r...thur...”

The voice was so weak, hoarse and barely audible, unconsciously the words were uttered out of his own mouth...provoking a sad smile from the man in front of him. Was it his own voice?

But this brought the man in front of him closer, as he raised his hand he to gently kiss him. Eventually, he caressed the naked man's face in the bed, causing this odd, blue being to shiver even more...regardless of his protests to being spoiled. He made a feeble attempt to move away from it, a destructive instinct refusing such tender contact when he only deserved to disappear, but this was ignored or interpreted differently, as the other's hand drifted gently behind his neck and the man on the bed was pulled forward, having no strength to resist it.

He was now curled up against the one he had just called Arthur, not understanding why he was doing this, nor why he felt so comfortable around him. The man transformed the touch into a comfortable embrace, hugging the little blue being in a protective and soft way. He felt his face come to caress his hair and kiss him there. He heard him mumble "Gilgamesh" so sadly that he wasn't sure who he was talking about.

But he stayed there, in his arms, trying not to fight but to understand... In vain.

He felt good. A feeling of comfort gently came over, even if it seemed absurd. Yet the thought that he could take advantage of the contact, to snuggle, relax and let himself drift to sleep came to his mind.

Ah yes, in the end, maybe that was his solution to disappear again by returning to the darkness.

The caresses in his hair encouraged him to close his eyes and sigh at ease.

A moment passed before he felt Arthur move and gently caress his face, lips and cheeks.

"Love..." A whispered voice caused a shiver to travel down his back. "It's all right now, you're safe here... no one will hurt you... no one."

These reassuring words acted as a lullaby, but he did not understand this notion of wanting to protect him. His lips were captured, cutting off the thread of his thoughts. He felt himself leaning back more, lying back in bed again. He didn't pay much attention to the fact that his torso had been caressed, nor to the soft whisper, he heard against his lips, as the darkness seemed to have decided to take him back. His body was again covered with the blanket, snuggled preciously inside, but he had fallen asleep again before Arthur stopped kissing and caressing his now relaxed face.

Arthur smiled at the vision. Even if it had only lasted a few minutes, he was happy to have felt his beloved come back, to have been able to exchange a glance with him, however brief it may have been.

"Rest as long as you need Love, I'll always be there for you."

This first unexpected awakening was the first sign of convalescence and rest for Gilgamesh, but Arthur knew that it would probably take an eternity for the former king to become the man he once was. In the meantime, he pledged to watch over him and ensure that his love would rest forever.

...

The world has since long forgotten the existence of this past king who collected all the treasures of the world and ruled over Uruk like a tyrant and a wise man. All that will be remembered is the existence of a civilization that has now disappeared, whose idols were destroyed, where their gods found themselves in exile. Fleeing from the wrath of a dark and powerful being.

This foreign god, the soul eater, who has existed since the birth of humanity, has since that day been feared and venerated by mortals who begged him not to devour them. It is said that he was able to devour an entire civilization in one night. It is said that he possessed a kingdom that traveled through the earth's soil all over the world. It is said that he possessed the most precious of treasures and that whoever possessed it had eternal wealth.

A lot was said, about the strange god who was not subject to universal law and no one had ever wanted to confront him until now.

But one thing was certain.

He was always hungry.

…

*****  
************  
**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this story and the plot I created. I wanted to tell how a man who was powerful could become broken by being inspired by Gilgamesh Alter created by my writer friends.  
> Sacrifice had a completely different plot originally, but Gilgamesh sacrificing himself for his people and believing it to be a sincere and noble deed suited him better. Except that the world is not always grateful. Often we only see the bad side of an action and not what it has brought over time.  
> But it is not only Gilgamesh's actions that can have consequences, everyone brings consequences by their actions and this story could go on for a long time. Who know?
> 
> Let's hope that our beloved blue boy finds peace and forgiveness in Arthur's arms. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Normally, it should have been a very long oneshot. But it was way too much work. So I divided it up. Enjoy it anyway and be patient. The rest shouldn't take too long. ^^


End file.
